I parted ways with the Team Leader and dragged myself toward the testing lab. It was my first time going there, so I had to stop and ask people for directions just to find the place.
A re-evaluation for Guiding, huh…
Standing in front of a door marked Research Lab, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, knocked, and stepped inside. A middle-aged man wearing glasses looked up like he’d been expecting me and greeted me right away.
“Hello. I got the notice earlier. You’re Guide Hwang Seol-bin, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Researcher Yeon Gu-han. A rising star in the scientific world—working in everything from Guide rank evaluations to experimental tech and machine invention.”
He adjusted his glasses and launched into a rapid, almost rap-like introduction, proudly listing off his accomplishments.
The name Yeon Gu-han had come up in the book. It stuck with me because it sounded like someone had made it up in a rush—plain and easy to remember.
Researcher Yeon Gu-han.
And that over-the-top self-promotion wasn’t entirely wrong. He was known for devoting himself completely to research—not for personal gain, but to find hope for humanity’s future.
When he evaluated Kim Yong-ha’s Guiding and saw the S-Rank result, he reportedly burst into tears, saying he’d discovered a new ray of hope.
He was a little more stiff and formal now than the flamboyant version I remembered from the book, but it made sense. He only showed genuine passion to people he deemed worthy of it. A born researcher, through and through.
I nodded vaguely and looked around the room.
The lab definitely had a different vibe. There were all kinds of strange machines I’d never seen before, and several computer screens lit up with unfamiliar data.
“Alright, let’s head inside.”
I’d come all the way to the testing room, but honestly, I didn’t want to go through with it. I looked around for an excuse to stall and found my gaze settling on a busy-looking computer.
“You seem really busy… Should I come back lat—”
“No, no. It’s fine. The test won’t take more than five minutes.”
If he was that busy, he could’ve just skipped it… but nope, he had to be annoyingly diligent.
“…Okay.”
Yeon Gu-han motioned for me to hurry, and I reluctantly followed him toward the bulky equipment in the back.
For a split second, I considered knocking him out and running away. But I gave up on that idea pretty fast. It wouldn’t change anything. It’d only make me look suspicious.
Yeah. There’s no guarantee I’m S-Rank. Sure, my abilities feel stronger and I do feel more powerful… but that doesn’t automatically make me S-Rank, right?
In the book, Kim Yong-ha was the only S-Rank Guide. Please, let it stay that way.
“Just have a seat here. The whole thing’ll be over in less than five minutes.”
“…Okay.”
I did as I was told and sat down on the machine’s platform.
As soon as I settled in, the door slowly closed. Robotic arms extended and clamped down on my wrists and ankles. Then a blue screen popped up in front of me with the words “Loading…” displayed.
I frowned.
Something felt off.
Ugh. What is this energy?
Something foreign had entered my body and was now poking around like it was trying to dig up every last secret I had.
I glanced at Yeon Gu-han. He was casually sipping coffee and flipping through some documents, not even looking my way.
The loading bar had already passed the halfway mark. Just a bit more, and it would be over.
Please, please… D-Rank. Just let it be D-Rank.
I prayed silently with everything I had.
And then—
[WARNING! WARNING!]
The blue screen turned bright red, blaring an alarm.
What the hell?
I stared blankly at the screen in shock. Warning? Warning for what?
[Unusual energy detected. Levels exceed maximum threshold. DANGER! Beyond acceptable range. DANGER! Immediate shutdown required.]
Shit. I’m screwed.
I didn’t know exactly what was happening, but I could feel that this was bad.
Even Yeon Gu-han, still holding his coffee, rushed over with a startled look on his face.
“What the—why is it acting like this?”
The machine continued to shriek as white smoke hissed out, accompanied by a harsh static sound.
It felt dangerous to stay in there a second longer, so I ripped off the robotic arms, kicked the door open, and got out fast.
The moment I was clear, the machine gave a faint pop—and broke down completely.
Yeon Gu-han, who had rushed toward me, froze in place, staring at the wreckage.
“…Wh-what just happened? I didn’t do anything.”
“……”
“Um… Researcher Yeon Gu-han?”
“A-astonishing! I never thought I’d witness something like this with my own eyes!”
His voice trembled with excitement. Yeon Gu-han’s face was completely flushed.
“There—There are only two possible explanations for this!”
“Two?” I echoed.
Yeon Gu-han stared at me like I was some kind of fascinating new species. Without answering, he fumbled for his phone and immediately started dialing someone.
Hey, how about explaining first?! What two explanations?!
“Why aren’t they picking up?! I need a replacement machine now!”
He suddenly shouted in frustration, pacing with an impatient scowl as the call went unanswered.
I calmly cut in, “Um… Could you maybe explain what’s happening first?”
“Ah, right—an explanation! The machine only reacts like this in two situations. Either it’s malfunctioning, or…”
“Or?” I prompted again.
Yeon Gu-han tried to compose himself, but the vein bulging in his neck betrayed him.
“Or the Guide’s rank is too high for the machine to measure! It’s only been theoretical until now, but it’s entirely possible! That machine was able to read Kim Yong-ha, and if it’s breaking down now, you might be even stronger! Do you understand how monumental this is?!”
“…It’s probably just a malfunction. I’m only a D-Rank Guide.”
He shook his head vigorously. “Impossible! I personally maintain that machine down to the last screw—it never malfunctions! You’re clearly so powerful the system couldn’t even process your rank! You could be humanity’s hope!”
His excitement only grew. His face flushed bright red, his voice booming, and yet he still kept trying to redial.
Clearly, this wasn’t something I could talk my way out of easily.
Honestly, if the test had simply shown an S-Rank result, it wouldn’t have been this bad. But no, apparently I was something even beyond that. I knew the power surging in me had felt excessive…
“Oh! Director! I need a new testing machine, immediately—the most advanced model! The old one? It’s broken! It could be because the Guide is stronger than S-Rank—no, I’m sure of it—! Director! Please, just listen to me—!”
The call had finally gone through, but it didn’t last long. Yeon Gu-han was left staring at his phone with a stunned, hollow look.
Fortunately, it seemed like this “Director” thought he was just talking nonsense.
Watching that gave me a flicker of hope.
Maybe there was still a way out of this.
“…So the machine malfunctioning isn’t that rare after all?”
“…The moment anything unusual happens, I call the Director immediately. That’s why he thinks I’m exaggerating. But this time is different! This is the first time the machine’s ever completely broken down!”
Still worked up, Yeon Gu-han furiously redialed, determined to prove he wasn’t wrong.
I bit my lip and watched him nervously. I could only pray that even after this call, the Director would continue thinking it was all just an overreaction.
But, as always, things never went my way. Yeon Gu-han ended the call looking deeply satisfied.
“Good news. They’re sending a replacement machine.”
“…What?”
“It’ll take about a week to arrive. I’ll contact you as soon as it gets here. We’ll retest then—and next time, we’ll get a precise result. Until then, be careful. Take care of your health, avoid crowds, steer clear of Espers, and if possible, stay inside the Center.”
He was looking at me like he knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was something beyond an S-Rank.
“If I’m right, Guide Hwang Seol-bin, you’re not just S-Rank. You might be SS-Rank—or higher.”
“…That’s not possible. I know myself better than anyone. I’m just a D-Rank Guide. I think you’re misunderstanding.”
“……”
“If you contact me in a week, I’ll come back for the re-test.”
I bowed politely. Yeon Gu-han looked like he had a million things left to say, but at least he didn’t try to stop me.
I turned around and walked out of the testing lab, heading back to the Guiding Room.
A week…
I’d be tested again in a week.
And that scared me. I had a terrible feeling that Yeon Gu-han might actually be right.
Even by objective standards, I wasn’t weak—not like the original Hwang Seol-bin.
And if I really was stronger than Kim Yong-ha?
Things had already gone wild over just one S-Rank Guide. If I turned out to be stronger than that?
“Horrifying.”
I couldn’t let that happen. I had to stop it, no matter what. But how? What the hell could I possibly do?
Then it hit me—the Wish Ticket I’d gotten from ZEC’s hideout.
Kang Bijun, the man they called Deputy Commander.
He’d said he’d grant any wish within his power.
Right. I still have that, don’t I?
My brain kicked into overdrive.
I had one week. If I could meet with Kang Bijun and ask him to falsify the test records—
For someone like him, a man who’d managed to forge even Captain Kang Biso’s identity, tampering with a few files would be nothing.
I roughly remembered where their hideout was. They probably hadn’t moved it.
And even if they had, I could use Kang Biso to track it down.
I’ll head to where their old hideout used to be.
Just thinking that gave me a glimmer of hope.
***
“When the hell is he coming back?”
Baek Beom, currently in the form of a dog, grumbled as he glanced up at the wall clock.
It was almost 7 p.m., and the bastard still hadn’t returned.
He leashed me up like some pet and then left me here? What kind of asshole does that?
“I’m bored, bored, bored! Should I just run for it? Make a break for it?”
But… running away felt like a waste. That Guide—he was too tempting to give up on.
That body. That face. And that Guiding ability.
Still, taking him down wasn’t easy.
Even last night, after the Guide had fallen asleep, he’d tried again. Over and over, he lunged at him—but every time, he got elbowed, kicked, or punched square in the face.
Eventually, he passed out with a fistprint across his jaw.
The guy didn’t even look conscious—so how the hell were his reflexes that good?
He’d gotten so fed up being tied up like this, he almost said screw it and bolted… but he couldn’t forget the way he gently stroked his head, the way he softly called out to him.
And that Guiding—so sweet, so warm, like he was melting from the inside out.
It kept him rooted here, leashed and waiting like some loyal mutt. If it hadn’t been for that, he would’ve torn my way out long ago.
—Clack!
Baek Beom’s ears perked up, and he jumped to his feet.
Finally. He’s back. My Guide!
His tail started wagging before he even realized it.
The man walked in, both hands full of shopping bags.
“Sorry, puppy. Did I keep you waiting long?”
“Woof! Woof woof!”
Do you even realize how long it’s been?! You said you’d be back early! What the hell took so long?!
“Looks like you liked your food, huh? Bowl’s clean. I brought something even tastier today.”
I didn’t eat it because it was good—I had to eat it to recover! That’s the only reason!
“Woof woof woof!”
“Happy, huh? Look at that tail go. You’re so cute.”+
God, this was humiliating. The tail-wagging—it was instinct, okay? It wasn’t because I was happy!
The Guide crouched down and gently patted his head.
“Ah, right. I’m really sorry, but something’s come up again. I need to head back out. I know I’ve left you waiting all day, but can you hang in there a little longer?”
“Woof woof woof woof!?”
Are you serious right now?! I’ve already been stuck here all day, and now you want me to wait even longer?! Absolutely not!
“Thanks so much, puppy. I’ll give you tons of Guiding when I get back. You hear me? Loads.”
Tons of Guiding…
He’d been low-key frustrated with how little he gave him before, and now he was promising more? Baek Boem’s heart skipped a beat.
“If I’m gonna deal with this… I need to take care of it first…”
“Woof?”
The Guide mumbled something under his breath, but Baek Boem didn’t catch it. He tilted his head and barked softly in confusion.
The Guide just smiled like it was nothing and stroked his head again.
He said if I waited just a little longer, he’d give me Guiding. Lots of it.
That was a deal he couldn’t pass up.
Baek Beom sat down obediently, tongue out, panting happily to show he’d wait like a good dog.
Go on, then. Hurry back. Because once you do, I’m gonna get every last drop of that Guiding you promised.
All while keeping his dark little thoughts perfectly hidden.
